


Love, not wisely but too well

by sullacat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-13
Updated: 2011-07-13
Packaged: 2017-10-21 08:52:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/223338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sullacat/pseuds/sullacat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Those who love Harry will do anything to keep him safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love, not wisely but too well

**Author's Note:**

> For h/c bingo square: poltergeist. Non-epilogue compliant.
> 
> Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Lily loved the garden the most.

When Harry first bought this drafty old house, she'd worried. Why would one young man who lived alone need so much space? It was too big for him and badly in need of repair, even with the use of his magic. Yet from what she could tell, Harry wasn't using magic, preferring just his hands as he worked to repairing the walls and roof and ancient plumbing after working a full day with the Aurors' division, falling in his bed each night exhausted and sore.

The dilapidated garden hadn't been touched yet, being saved for last, she hoped. "Makes sense to finish the inside first," James told her, settling next to her on the roof beam from where she preferred to watch him. "Wish I could help him."

A snort from behind them. "Potter, you with a hammer is like a monkey with a quill. Only bad things can come from it."

Lily turned to see Remus and Sirius floating behind them. "Welcome back," she said, moving over so there was room for them as well. "How are the others?"

"Very well," Remus sighed, his eyes drifting down to Harry, looking at him fondly. "Ron's talked Hermione into that holiday, finally."

"Majorca?" she asked, curious about her boy's dearest friends.

"Mykonos."

"Oh, that will be lovely." Her eyes turned back to find Harry, now gathering his tools and settling them in a closet before heading upstairs. "The Weasleys?"

"All in order," Sirius told her, settling comfortably next to Remus on the beam. "Ran into Fred's shade. He's keeping an eye on all of them." That made Lily sad, the idea that it was the son was watching over his parents. _Wasn't supposed to be like that._

"And our Harry?" Remus asked.

"Gone to clean up," she told them. "Was tidying earlier. Might be having company this evening," she hoped. She hated seeing him so alone.

Sirius snorted. "He doesn't bring people here."

"Might be a girl," James chuckled.

"Look, you three," she turned on them. "If he needs time alone, we give it to him. You lot go chase each other 'round the grounds, and I'll go sit in the garden. Agreed?"

Remus, James, and Sirius gave each other the same look and she could see them all eleven again, scamps. "Of course," they murmured, smirking and chuckling.

A few moments passed and the door chime rang. Harry ran down the stairs, buttoning what Lily thought was a new shirt and pausing in front of the mirror, examining himself once, fixing his untidy hair before he answered. "Privacy, boys," Lily said, floating in the opposite direction toward the upstairs. "We agreed..."

"Just a quick peek," Sirius told her, James and Remus following behind as always. Then he froze. "No."

James cursed under his breath. "I don't believe this."

Even Remus' face twisted into something hard and unfriendly. "What?" she said, moving back toward the great room, where Harry had taken his guest. "Oh," she said, finally understanding.

"Here you go," Harry said, offering Draco Malfoy a glass of wine after taking his robes and hanging them next to his.

Draco sniffed it once, swirling it in his goblet before taking a sip. "Didn't think you drank this, Potter," he said, watching Harry with something warm and relaxed in his eyes.

Harry shrugged, failing at looking casual. "You mentioned you liked it, once." Lily imagined she could feel the sexual tension in the room, the way they were both looking at each other with curiosity and interest. When on earth had they become friends, much less this?

"I do," Draco replied with a smile, taking another sip. "So, this is the place everyone's been talking about. Harry Potter's new manor house."

"Hardly," Harry chuckled, looking a little embarrassed, but clearly proud of what he'd accomplished so far.

"Everyone wants a peek, you know." Draco stood, taking a step closer to Harry. "Might I have the grand tour?"

Harry smiled back at him, and Lily felt her heart flutter. She hadn't seen that look of happiness and excitement on her boy's face in such a long time. "The upstairs is a mess," he told Draco, "but the kitchen's nearly done. It's this way." Harry led Draco out of the living area, carrying their glasses of wine with them.

Sirius began to follow when Lily stopped him. "No," he told her. "This isn't right. That bastard isn't good for him, he's a Malfoy, for fuck's sake. "

"Padfoot..."

"What, Moony? You want me to spell it out for you?" Sirius' voice grew louder. "Harry is in danger, every moment he's around that Death Eater."

They heard laughter from the kitchen. Unable to control his anger anymore, Sirius grabbed the bottle of wine, lifted it high, and dropped it, the glass shattering all over the floor. Lily gasped, but the others seemed to approve.

Harry and Draco rushed back to the living room. "What happened?" Draco asked before he found the bottle on the floor in pieces. "Must have slipped," he murmured, his eyes glancing around the room cautiously.

"Must have. Shame," Harry pulled out his wand and waved it, watching as the shards of glass and wine moved backward, as if rewinding time, repairing itself in front of their eyes, and setting itself back on the table.

"Show-off," Draco and James murmured at the same time.

Harry just nudged Draco's shoulder, giving him a special grin. "Come on, we'll be late," he said. "We can apparate from the garden. It's a mess, though, pay it no mind."

"You don't like gardens?"

Harry laughed. "Got a black thumb, nothing will grow if I touch it." Lily watched as the two men grabbed their robes and left through the back door.

Sirius was quiet through all of this, shaking his head before fading away, Remus following behind him, looking worried. Lily turned to James. "What do you think?"

"I don't like it," James said, and he wandered off upstairs.

 

It wasn't much better on Draco's next visit.

Lily found James and Sirius perched on her roof beam watching them. "What are you up to?"

"Keeping an eye on our boy," Sirius said tightly.

Lily sat down next to them, trying to see what was happening. "What have I missed?"

"Malfoy brought Harry a broomstick," Sirius spat out.

Lily's eyebrow lifted as she looked at them. "It's a nice one," James conceded. "Apparently Malfoy owns the company now. That's how they became 'reacquainted'."

"Who knows what sort of enchantments he's put onto that broom," Sirius muttered, unable to take his eyes off of them.

Remus materialized behind them. "Quite the opposite. From what I could tell, it’s been spelled with every possible safety charm I'm aware of. Tailor-made to Harry's specifications. Would cost a fortune if you could buy one, but it’s truly one of a kind." He made a little barking laugh. "It’s actually nicer than Malfoy's broom, if you can imagine that."

That still didn't sit well with Sirius, who dematerialized. The next thing she knew, a loud noise surprised them all, turning their heads in the direction of the kitchen. "Excuse me," Harry said as he headed to the kitchen, finding a chair flipped onto its back. "Strange," he said as he rejoined Draco in the living room. "Must be a draft somewhere."

"Maybe." Draco grabbed the brooms, holding Harry's out at him. "Fancy a race, Potter?" he called out, his grey eyes dancing.

"Fancy losing, Malfoy?" Harry replied, laughing as they headed out the back door.

Sirius reappeared. "That was uncalled for," Lily told him.

"Someone's got to look after him," Sirius said, giving James a glance before the two of them poofed off.

"They're worried," Remus told her.

"They're gits," Lily told him.

"That they are, but they are our gits," he said, moving closer to her. "Their manic behavior is coming from a place of love."

"Be that as it may... we're here because Harry still needs us."

"Yes," Remus acknowledged.

"This sort of behaviour is going to get us booted out. It isn't remotely what he needs," she snapped, turning and heading out to the garden, to sit and watch the clouds pass by.

 

"Tell me again why we're doing this without magic?"

Harry laughed, passing Draco another roll of painter's tape. "I'm a stubborn, speccy git," he grinned. "I dunno, its a personal thing. Just want to see if I can do it with just my hands, wands-free." Harry finished covering the last piece of furniture in the room with a drop cloth. "You reckon I'm a nutter?"

"I thought you were nutters before," Draco told him, wrapping his arms around him, murmuring into his hair. "Now I think you're barking mad."

The scene in front of her made Lily smile. She had agreed to watch them, making the others stay away in exchange for her word that she would keep a close eye on them, in case there was any danger. Draco had been here several times now, and Lily was starting to trust that maybe he wasn't the monster that she remembered from Harry's youth.

But despite her best efforts, she couldn't keep the upstairs door from slamming every few minutes.

"You have a noisy one," Draco told him as he taped off the bottom of the wall.

"Noisy?" Potter asked, opening a fresh can of paint, stirring it.

"Your ghost," Draco answered. "You've got something in here mucking about upstairs."

Harry's face twisted, then he shrugged. "Can't say I've noticed anything."

"You sure?" Draco asked, leaning back on his hands. "Having ghosts about isn't all that strange, Potter."

"I guess not, just haven't seen anything, or anyone. Not like at school."

"Nothing falling or rattling about, broken... Nothing threatening you?" Draco asked, looking a little worried.

"Noth- well there was the wine," he remembered. "That bottle that fell."

"And the chairs that seem to tip over on their own. And the broken plates yesterday." Draco bit his lip, then dropped his voice. "You mean none of this ever happens when I'm not here??"

"...No."

"Hmmm," Draco stood, picked up a brush, and dipped it into the paint can. "Maybe it just doesn't like _me_ ," he said, something sad and resigned to his voice.

"Then it hasn't any sense," Harry said, leaning over and kissing him. Draco dipped his finger in the paint and brushed it across Harry's cheek. Harry was about to retaliate when it happened again, the kitchen chairs tipping over.

Draco wrapped an arm around Harry, protective, and Lily felt herself warm to him, despite everything. "Usually its a good thing, having someone around watching over you, but if they keep bothering you, someone can come and remove them. You know, you could probably do it yourself, you're strong enough." For a moment she thought his eyes were on her as they travelled the room. "I could help."

"Might," Harry said. "Or maybe we'll just meet at your flat next time."

Draco's face lit up and they kissed again. "Any time, Potter," he said, brushing a piece of Harry's hair off his face.

 

Two days later Lily was in the garden waiting for Harry to return when she saw Draco appear. That he had apparation rights to Harry's place concerned but did not surprise her. The two of them had been spending quite a bit of time together, though she hadn't seen Draco spend the night here, and Harry always came home at the end of their dates alone.

Lily was about to head inside to warn the others that Malfoy was here but she stopped, watching as Draco didn't go inside. Instead, he dropped the over-sized bag he was carrying, and began unpacking it on the stone pathway in front of the garden.

Thirty minutes later, he was already dirty, soil in his hair and on the arms of his rolled-up sleeves, sweat beading on the back of his neck. He cultivated the earth with a small hand tool, turning it over and over, and adding nutrients to the dirt. She saw him pulling all the little stones and rocks, tossing them into a pile, and yanking the weeds that had threatened to over take the small plot.

Finally, Draco began planting the young shoots that he'd brought, suspended in some transparent protective wrap. She floated closer, trying to keep out of his way, and saw beans and peas and potatoes and lettuce, and three varieties of lilies. All of these went into the soil, Draco digging each hole by hand with his cultivator.

"No magic," he shook his head, muttering to himself. "Sweating like a house-elf here." Draco leaned back, wiping his brow with a bit of cloth, chuckling as he stepped back to examine what he'd done. "Hope you like this, Potter."

"Hope I like what?" Harry appeared behind them so fast even Lily hadn't felt him approaching. "Draco?"

"Surprise?" Draco said, a small grin on his face as he tried to look and sound haughty. "Honestly, Potter, this is what a proper garden is supposed to look like. I couldn't stand seeing it in such disrepair a moment longer."

"Oh, is that all," Harry said, tearing his eyes away from the plants. "Those lilies?" he asked, looking at the row of dark green stems in the back.

"Might be," Draco said. "You like it?"

"I love it," Harry replied, taking Draco in his arms. "Thank you so much," he murmured, giving him a soft kiss. Touching his face, he pushed the a sweaty tendril of hair out of Draco's face. "Come on," he told him. "I think I promised you a tour of the upstairs now, didn't I?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Harry told him, another lingering kiss. "First stop is the shower, though. Gotta clean you up. You smell like a house-elf." Then they kissed again, slow and deep, Draco's hands moving up Harry's back to cradle his hair. Harry pulled back first, pressing their foreheads together.

Taking Draco's hand, they made their way inside. Lily watched them go, aware that she was no longer alone out in the garden. "Stay here, all of you," she said to the three men behind her. "No one goes inside, no one bothers them. No more."

James exhaled loudly. Sirius muttered, "He deserves better."

"Probably," she agreed. "But he wants Malfoy." Lily draped an arm over James. "Could be worse."

"I don't see how."

"He could be alone... now Harry has someone he loves, who loves him back. Isn't that what we wanted?" Lily glanced over at Sirius, his arm wrapped around Remus. "Right?"

Sirius frowned, but nodded. "Just needed to make certain."

"We'll always be here when he needs us. But- it’s time to leave them be." Time to let go, again. "You lot, go off for a run or something. Let the boys have some alone time."

Sirius and James looked at each other, that silent communication they had, and gave in. They immediately changed to animal form and took off running back behind the house. "And you?" Remus said, lingering behind a moment longer.

"I'm going to sit here and watch these flowers a little longer. You go on, I'm fine." She watched as Remus changed into the handsome wolf he'd always been and scampered off after the other two. Then she ran her hand over the lilies and watched as they grew, all three varieties blooming in front of her eyes, swaying in the light breeze. She thought she could smell their light fragrance.

One last glance at the house, and she smiled softly, wished them both well, and faded away.


End file.
